Chapter 5 Wesley's Ex-Fiancée

This woman really had nerves of steel! His presence was bad enough, but his younger brother was here too. Hearing the man speak, Violet Leach twitched the corner of her eye in disbelief. She was tall and shapely—any other man would have leered at her by now. But him? He acted as if glancing at her would give him an eye disease. "Fine then, I'll take that as you believing me. I'm going back to my room." Violet tugged at the suit jacket draped over her shoulders and strode upstairs on her long legs. As she walked, she mentally analyzed: that object was somewhere in the Merritt residence, but she had no clue exactly where yet. It wasn't her fault. The Merritt villa was simply too massive—its footprint was nearly as large as a royal palace she'd once visited in some foreign country. With such a vast estate, finding that object wouldn't happen overnight. And she had only just arrived. Any sudden moves would raise suspicion. For now, it was best to keep a low profile. So the night passed without incident. The next morning, right after Violet got up, a maid came in carrying several sets of clothes. "Mrs. Merritt, these are clothes Mr. Merritt had prepared for you." "For me?" Violet was surprised, then quickly realized—probably Wesley didn't want her wearing his shirt anymore. That's why he'd had clothes arranged for her. What a germaphobe! After freshening up, Violet put on the clothes, opened the door, and stepped out. Immediately, she overheard the maid who'd brought her clothes and another maid eyeing her sideways. "It's her—shameless! Trying to climb into our Merritt's bed." "Looks like a real fox-faced seductress." "No kidding. I bet her face is all plastic surgery." "Me too." Violet let the comments wash over her, calm and composed as she descended the stairs, walking straight past the two maids. The two, ignored and furious, immediately confronted her. "I'd advise you to leave here soon. If Irene Bexley finds out you've married Mr. Merritt, you'll be in deep trouble." Violet stopped, turning back to face them. "Oh? Then we'll deal with that when she comes." With that, she didn't even glance at the maids again and left the villa. The two maids were absolutely livid. "Emma, don't you have Irene Bexley's contact? Send her a message right away!" "Okay, I'll do it now." As soon as Violet left the villa, she noticed someone tailing her. She quickly ducked into a side alley and peered out. Soon, she saw Oscar Merritt wheeling into view. Of course it was him. He'd been following her. No need to guess—he must suspect she had ulterior motives toward his brother and was trying to investigate. Following her? In the Alliance, if she ranked second in counter-surveillance, no one dared claim first. Let him keep searching. She'd slip away first. Oscar Merritt searched carefully in every direction, then muttered to himself. "Strange? Where'd she go? She was just here. Where could she have disappeared to?" Ten minutes later. Violet arrived at the city's largest mall—Omniplex Plaza. This was a high-end shopping center where only the wealthy and powerful dared to spend—ordinary people could only dream of stepping inside. Oh right, she remembered—LANG5, the brand operated by Five's family, had a store here. Violet looked up and saw the prominent red LANG5 sign on the third floor. It occupied nearly a quarter of the entire floor. Compared to other brands, their storefronts looked like little siblings. No wonder—it was Five's family business. No wonder it was so impressive! Violet stepped onto the escalator, feeling relaxed. Just then, two girls in front of her started chatting. "Yuxiang, you didn't actually go with that Merritt Group guy to get married yesterday, did you?" Hearing this, Violet immediately looked up at the two in front of her. The girl in yellow rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Only an idiot would marry a balding ugly freak." "But didn't the other party threaten you? That's the Merritt Group!" "So what? Back then, my grandfather and Mr. Merritt were comrades-in-arms, fought life and death together—that's how the engagement was arranged. Grandpa really didn't consider my feelings at all. If Wesley Merritt were even slightly average-looking, I'd be thrilled to marry into the Merritt family. But everyone in the circle knows he looks like a monster, and he's already balding at such a young age. I couldn't even eat if I had to face that man every day!" Jade Cooper spoke with utter scorn. "Cluck, cluck, cluck—" Violet couldn't help clicking her tongue. If this snobbish girl ever saw Wesley Merritt's true appearance, she'd regret it so much she'd slap herself a hundred times. Jade Cooper heard the noise behind her and turned to glare at Violet. "What are you clicking your tongue for?" Violet raised one eyebrow slightly. "I said, miss, are you the ocean? Why so salty? I don't even know you—what's it to you?" Hearing this, Jade Cooper's face instantly darkened. "Yuxiang, don't bother with her. Look at what she's wearing—clearly street-market knockoffs, like a country bumpkin fresh off the farm. Talking to someone like this just lowers your status," the other girl said, staring at Violet with disdain. Street-market knockoffs? Violet glanced down at herself. These clothes were arranged by Wesley Merritt. Even if the head of the Merritt family treated her harshly, he wouldn't stoop so low as to give her bargain-bin clothes, would he? These two were equally blind—completely unable to judge people or things. "Move aside!" Violet pushed between the two and headed straight for the LANG5 boutique, which faced the elevator. Inside, she casually picked up a piece and held it against herself. A sales assistant approached, ready to serve her, when Jade Cooper's sarcastic voice rang out. "Just a friendly warning—she's a clueless country girl here to try on clothes for free. You better keep an eye on her. If the clothes get damaged, you're the one who'll suffer." Hearing this, the sales assistant immediately looked at Violet with more caution. Violet casually handed the garment to the assistant. "I'll take this one." "You'll take it? Hah!" Jade Cooper sneered. "Clothes here start at five digits. Can you even afford it?" Ignoring Jade Cooper's barking, Violet told the assistant, "Wrap it up." Ignoring her! Jade Cooper's eyes bulged with rage as she snatched the clothes away. "I'll take this one!" Violet's delicate brows furrowed slightly with impatience. She always followed the rule: if others didn't provoke her, she wouldn't provoke them. But if someone attacked, she'd never back down. "I saw it first!" Violet grabbed the other end of the garment. The sales assistant stood between them, mediating. "Ladies, this isn't a limited edition. We have several more in stock. No need to fight." "You go pick another one," Violet said imperiously, staring at Jade Cooper. "Hmph! Why should I?" Jade Cooper clung to the clothes. "Why? Because of 'first come, first served.' Didn't your parents teach you that as a child? You keep saying you look down on country folk, but let me tell you—even the poorest villagers teach their children the traditional Chinese virtue of 'first come, first served'!" Hearing this, Jade Cooper's face turned every shade of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet—like a revolving light show—absolutely spectacular. "You—you're calling me uncultured!" Violet glanced down at the clothes clutched in Jade Cooper's hand, teasingly. "Isn't that exactly what you are?" "You—" Jade Cooper was so furious she couldn't speak, only glaring at Violet with murderous intent. If looks could kill, Violet would have been sliced into a thousand pieces by now! After a full minute of stalemate, Jade Cooper suddenly turned to the assistant and pulled out a membership card from her bag. "I have your store's membership card. Give me the clothes!" "Of course, I'll package it for you right away." The assistant took the card and became noticeably more respectful. Jade Cooper smirked triumphantly at Violet. Fight me? Who do you think you are?! "Wait!" Violet called out to the assistant. "I'm a close acquaintance of your boss. You must sell this to me."